Erik Logan (insert) bringing his touch to
Backdoor.
The curse of Erik Logan lurks as World Surf
League forced to green light unfavorable Lexus Pipe Pro (at some
point)
By Chas Smith
The Wall of Positive Noise officially cracks.
The Wall of Positive Noise has long been a
World Surf League staple since its very first days as an
organization in 2015 circa 1976. The fledgling “Global Home of
Surfing” and its first brave leader, Paul Speaker, was entirely
sunny about each and every aspect of its future. Surfing would soon
be bigger than the National Football League.
Bigger than The Beatles.
Each subsequent Chief Executive carried the ultra-happy torch.
Not a negative word was allowed to pass from the mouths, or
fingers, of any WSL employees. Nothing in any shade of grey.
One decade circa five decades on, the League seems to be
staggering under the haunting of its penultimate CEO Erik Logan.
The Oklahoman with a magical wetsuit of armor burst onto the scene
as President of the WSL Studios by way of Oprah Winfrey and quickly
did such a poor job that the whole enterprise was shuttered and he
was kicked upstairs to the big desk. There Logan sat, making
Instagrams of himself, printing t-shirts of torsos and sucking the
breath from professional surfers faces until he was viciously fired
with the curtest statement ever.
“Erik Logan is no longer with the company.”
Except he is. That oleaginous ghost haunting, turning the Lexus
Pipe Pro forecast to such garbage that the Wall of Positive Noise,
itself, is seeing damage.
In an overnight message, the World Surf League shared, “With
Wednesday, Feb 5 looking like a potential Finals Day, the plan is
to run for three straight days starting Monday Feb. 3. But its the
ocean so check back for tomorrow’s call at 7:45.”
Never, not once, in the past decade or five has the WSL
delivered such a grumpy, grouchy, hopeless memo. A true bummer
certain to dump cold water on even the hottest of surf fans.
“But it’s the ocean.”
So bleak.
But what sort of exorcism would the World Surf League need to do
in order to chase the smarmy specter away?
I would imagine any thoughts welcome.
Update: Off for today putting dreamed about Wednesday Finals
Day in jeopardy.
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Filipe Toledo, an Olympic star at Teahupoo, and
celebrated like Eddie Aikau on t-shirt.
Surf brand honours world champ Filipe
Toledo with set-to-be-iconic “Toledo Would Go” t-shirt!
By Derek Rielly
Toledo has won two world titles in small waves but
has publicly struggled in waves breaking over reef and exceeding
six feet.
Country Club Surf Brand is a small, made-from-home brand by a
gun designer from Volcom who split the company after fourteen
years. Joey Frizelle was there all through the good times, the
great float and before the joint got bought out by the French luxe
group Kering, owners of Gucci, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta and
finally, Authentic Group, makers of Juicy Couture’s outstanding
velvet tracksuits (a personal fav.)
“It changed a lot for over that time,” says Joe, who was
Volcom’s surf trunk designer of note.
His little light bulb moment for a brand centred around pools
came when he was watching the Future Classic at Surf Ranch in 2017,
the world’s second-ever major wave pool event, a contest where
spectators were excluded.
“No one could see what was going on, it was so exclusive, so
elitist and all of a sudden everyone had a comment about it, the
death of surfing and so on. Everyone had an opinion on it.”
Joe said to a pal, “You know what’s so funny, somebody is going
to have a wavepool brand and it’s going to be called Country Club
Surf Club or something.”
Bing.
Joe went out and got the Instagram handle, bought the domain,
and yelled from his Volcom cubicle, “Can somebody make a logo?”
By the time the afternoon had spilled into evening, he had a
logo, a website, had posted photos on Instagram and had mocked up a
full range of hats and tees.
The brand started as parody but Joe is anything but anti-tub. He
hits the Waco pool when he can and even blew his money on the old
Austin tank before it got bought out by KSWaveCo, demolished, and
abandoned.
Tulsi Gabbard DNI confirmation hits major
snag after revelation that husband is “as devoted to surfboard as
he is to wife”
By Chas Smith
Wild times in Washington D.C.
Wild times in Washington D.C. as Donald J.
Trump’s second week as President of the United States nears its
end. Many executive orders signed. Much confirmation hearings on
Capitol Hill with cabinet hopefuls facing off against dubious
senators. Last week saw Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Bobby Kennedy Jr.
and Tulsi Gabbard facing a barrage of questions. Gabbard, wishing
to become the Director of National Intelligence, is considered a
50-50 bet to make it through though her odds received a cruel blow
after a stunning revelation.
Asked during her hearing if she considered the whistleblower
Edward Snowden a traitor, the 43-year-old answered, “My heart is
with my commitment to our Constitution and our nation’s security. I
have shown throughout my almost 22 years of service in the
military, as well as my time in Congress, how seriously I take the
privilege of having access to classified information and our
nation’s secrets, and that’s why I’m committed, if confirmed as
director of national intelligence, to joining you in making sure
that there is no future Snowden-type leak.”
Asked again, she responded, “Senator, I’m focused on the future
and how we can prevent something like this from happening
again.”
Many officials inside the White House were “rattled” by
Gabbard’s response to the Snowden question, a person familiar with
the White House’s thinking said, adding that she seemed
unprepared.
The Snowden moment caught President Donald Trump’s
attention, according to another person familiar with the White
House’s thinking. As he watched a clip of it, Trump wondered aloud
how her lack of a direct answer would play out, this person
said.
“He was curious about how it would affect her chances at
nomination or if it wouldn’t matter at all,” this person
said.
That rattle grew much fiercer after the stunning bombshell
dropped that Gabbard’s husband, Abraham Williams, loves his
surfboard as much as he does her.
The Irish Star,
examining the relationship, learned that the two met after Williams
offered to take photos of Gabbard’s campaign, reporting:
The two quickly hit it off, bonding over their shared love
for water sports. Surfing has always been a passion of Gabbard’s,
something she makes time for amidst her busy political career.
Williams, also hailing from Gabbard’s home state of Hawaii, was as
devoted to his surfboard as he was to his wife. “Pretty soon, we
were going on hikes, going surfing and spending as much time
together as we could. Oftentimes that meant an early-morning surf
before work,” Gabbard shared. During a surf session, Williams
proposed to Gabbard and the two had a casual island wedding in
2015.
Boy oh boy.
We, here, all enjoy the surfing life but have you ever gone on
the record to say that you are as devoted to your surfboard as you
are to your spouse?
Would you trust someone whose spouse was as devoted to them as
they were to their surfboard?
Like I stated, wild times.
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Family home of Owen and Tyler Wright listed
for sale with $3 mill-plus hopes as patriarch Rob battles
dementia
By Derek Rielly
“Prepare to be amazed, this is a once-in-a-lifetime
offering that must be seen to be believed.”
In a sad coda to the life of the Wright family’s
patriarch, Rob, the compound he’s lived in for the back half of his
life, and right behind his favourite wave Boulders, has
just been listed with three-mill plus hopes.
Rob Wright’s house has views from Lennox to Broken Head and the
Cape Byron lighthouse.
The selling lit is compelling:
Prepare to be amazed, this is a once-in-a-lifetime offering
that must be seen to be believed.
With endless future potential (STCA), this exciting property
will delight whether you’re looking to update the current homestead
and grounds, create a striking statement residence or landbank for
future growth.
The existing brick and tile home is spacious and versatile
with a unique layout that will suit a wide range of owners. Four
bedrooms and two bathrooms await in the main residence with
multiple living areas that connect effortlessly to the outdoors.
The open-plan kitchen, dining and family room takes in spectacular
views over the property to the ocean beyond plus there’s a separate
living room complete with a cosy brick fireplace for those cool
winter nights.
Multiple covered patios and a wrap-around deck take full
advantage of the picture-perfect surrounds and will make
entertaining guests a true joy.
A double garage and a large 7.8×3.9m storage room add
functionality and there’s a two-bedroom, one-bathroom
self-contained studio with a kitchen, sitting area, balcony and
deck. Here, the expansive outlook will amaze while the addition of
this bonus living space is perfect for accommodating extended
family or visitors who come to share in this one-of-a-kind
property.
Depending on your vision for the site, there’s potential to
keep horses and create a dressage arena or even look to create two
separate homes that capitalise on this incredible locale (STCA).
Scenic national parks, coastal walks and renowned beaches are all
at your fingertips along with bustling shopping hubs, cafes and
entertainment options that are all just waiting to be
explored.
– Spectacular landmark property that must be seen to be
believed – A rare 2.692-hectare offering with expansive ocean views to
Cape Byron – Update, redevelop or land bank for future growth, the choice
is yours (STCA) – Existing 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom main home with multiple living
areas on offer – Open kitchen, dining and family room plus covered patios and
a wrap-around deck – Your master bedroom boasts an ensuite and a walk-in robe for
added privacy – A 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom studio with more breathtaking
elevated views
The one-time world title contender Owen Wright, who is
thirty-four, has spent the last five years caring for his Dad Rob
even as he deals with the lingering effects of his own brain
trauma.
In a harrowing post on social media four months ago, Owen spoke
movingly about his Dad’s struggle as the pair sat side by side,
checking the surf at Boulders, a quirky rock-bottom wave just south
of Lennox, and a favourite wave of his old boy’s. It was Rob’s last
stop before going into a Dementia unit.
“We found out about it five years ago and he was
surfing all the way up until two years ago. And today we’ve come
down to Boulders to say see you later to Boulders, because we’re
off to the Home today. We’re taking him to the nursing home to get
some better care.”
“He’s surfed here forever. Every morning. He was still surfing
here three years ago. And five years ago he got diagnosed with
dementia. He hid it before that. He already knew before that, but
he hid it from us.
“But we found out about it five years ago and he was surfing all
the way up until two years ago. And today we’ve come down to
Boulders to say see you later to Boulders, because we’re off to the
Home today. We’re taking him to the nursing home to get some better
care.
“We fought pretty hard, didn’t we Poppy, to keep you out of
there. That was your wishes. You said that to me years ago, ‘I
don’t want to go in there. I don’t ever want to go into one of
those places.’ So we fought pretty hard to keep you out. And we did
pretty well, I reckon.
“Because the condition he’s in now is non-verbal, can barely
walk, doesn’t get out of bed much. You know, dementia can be pretty
messy and incontinence is a part of that, not knowing how to feed
yourself. Losing bodily functions. That’s something I wasn’t aware
of when this started. I thought it was just memory. And seeing how
far it goes is quite shocking, but we did our best to keep him out
of the Home for as long as we could.
“It definitely took a toll on me personally and emotionally, but
you do anything for your mums and dads. And I guess today is a big
day for us, hey Poppy? We’ll put you into the Home, get some care,
get some nurses around and maybe meet some new people.
“Anyway, what a journey mate, what a journey. So, it’s been a
pleasure. It’s been a wild ride, for sure.”
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The Establishment (pictured) laughing
last.
The “Establishment” laughs last after
Volcom shutters all U.S. stores
By Chas Smith
Fun while it lasted.
The early 1990s were a heady time for extreme sport
aficionados. The dawn of a whole new movement. Radical
kids pushing surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding harder and
further and faster. A DIY mentality shoving out the old, designing
the new. It was, for all intents and purposes, youth against
establishment.
The defining brand of this whole era, of course, Volcom who not
only coined the “youth against establishment” tagline but also
represented the sharpest end of the nascent surf industry
revolution. Founded in 1991 by Richard Woolcott and Tucker Hall,
Volcom quickly established itself as the coolest of the core. After
a dizzying decade-ish, the company, now Volcom Inc., went public
and raised a then-staggering $89 million. Six years later, the
French multinational Kering friendly tookover “The Stone” for a
still-staggering $608 million.
Enter the surf industry apocalypse.
Volcom had trouble connecting with the new youth, whose focus
had shifted from extreme to maybe online gaming, while also needing
to provide shareholder value. Kering dumped the brand to Authentic
Brands Group in 2019 who, in turn, licensed Volcom to Liberated
Brands who, in turn, heavily discounted Volcom merchandise then
went broke and is now liquidating all its Volcom stores after
firing all its employees.
Bobby Abdel, a partner at the industry’s biggest account, Jack’s
Surfboards told Shop-Eat-Surf
of the crazy perpetual sales before the fall, “It impacts all of
the clothing business in the surf market – the brands and the
retailers. Customers look at everything, and they’ve been 40, 50,
60 percent off. We have to pay rent and pay our employees – we
can’t match sales like that. But who are we going to complain to
(at Liberated)? Everyone is gone.”
So now no more Volcom stores, or at least in these United
States.
Not one.
But do you think that the aforementioned Establishment is
sitting back and smirking after wingtip curb stomping Youth?